The rosters for the Canada East and Canada West Junior Women’s (Under-19) national teams were announced last week, and two locals girls are on the Canada East squad.
The two teams will participate in the 2009 World Junior ringette championship, which will be held Aug. 4-8 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Eleven athletes from Ontario have made the Canada East playing roster, including goalie Ashley Miller, 17, of St. Marys, and forward/centre Emily Bakker, 16, of Mitchell.
Miller and Bakker are members of the Stratford Belle ‘AA’ team this season.
Other Canada East team members are: Sheri Adams (Dorchester), Alexandra Bateman (Ottawa), Kristin Bortolon (Niagara Falls), Samantha Hodgson (Cambridge), Samantha McIntosh (Belmont), Jayme Simzer (Kars), Jaclyn Wise (London), Kelsey Youldon (Nepean) and Kaitlyn Youldon (Nepean).
As well, Shannon Barber (Paris), Lisa Bury (Mississauga) and Dominique Scapillati (Nepean) are alternates on the Canada East squad.
The majority of the Canada East coaching staff are from Ontario and include: Glen Gaudet (Cambridge) as head coach, Sharolyn Wouters (Brooklin) as assistant coach, and Jacqueline Gaudet (Cambridge) as apprentice coach.
“The upcoming World Junior championship will provide a superior opportunity for our Junior elite athletes to compete internationally,” said Tamara McKernan, Ringette Canada national team committee chair.
“Our coaches have done a great job in assembling two outstanding teams and we are looking forward to witnessing our country’s best as they showcase our sport in Prague this summer.”
Players from Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia comprise the rest of the Canada East squad.
The Canada West roster is made up of players from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The Junior World ringette championship is an International Ringette Federation event that provides an opportunity for developing countries to attend an international event without having to face powerhouses such as Finland’s and Canada’s national teams.
Both Finland and Canada will send Junior National Teams (U-19) and other participating countries will send their ‘regular’ national teams.
About ringette
Ringette is a Canadian sport that was invented in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario by the late Sam Jacks.
There are currently over 27,000 players on over 2,000 teams across Canada with over 1,800 officials and 5,000 coaches.
Internationally, it is played in half a dozen other countries around the world. For more information, please refer to the Ringette Canada website at www.ringette.ca.